Police opened fire at a protest in northwest Pakistan, leaving several people injured, as authorities cracked down on supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, a police official and a member of Khan’s party said.
A local member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said officers “opened fire directly into the crowd” at Tuesday’s rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, although a police intelligence officer said they fired “warning shots” to disperse protesters.
Thousands of Khan’s supporters have marched in recent weeks in the PTI stronghold of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand his release, also airing anti-government grievances fueled by harsh economic conditions.
A hugely popular former cricket star, Khan has been behind bars since August 2023 and faces scores of charges ranging from corruption to treason following anti-establishment riots.
He and his legal team reject the allegations, branding them as politically motivated cases aimed at neutralizing his popularity.
A police intelligence officer in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa told AFP that more than 200 protesters demonstrated in the town of Bara on Tuesday with security forces using tear gas, batons and bullets to break up the demonstration.
“After the police used tear gas and batons, the demonstrators regrouped, apprehended police personnel and assaulted them,” said the officer, who requested anonymity.
“Other officials at the scene opened fire into the air to rescue their colleagues. The protesters also attempted to snatch weapons from the police, prompting the officials to fire further warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd.”
Eleven protesters were injured by bullets and stones, they said, adding that demonstrators vandalized an emergency services office and set fire to an administrative building.
Local PTI member Khursheed Afridi told AFP that police “opened fire directly into the crowd to disperse them, leaving more than a dozen PTI workers seriously injured.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was placed under emergency rule on Sunday following days of anti-government protests demanding Khan’s release.
Local police said in a statement that they arrested 50 people in Bara suspected of terror offences, sabotage and damaging public property.
Authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have detained hundreds of PTI members since emergency rule kicked in, according to police.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Monday that the province’s chief minister Sohail Afridi had been placed in custody, but that he had not been “arrested.”
He did not provide further details on the detention.
The PTI’s Khursheed Afridi told AFP that more than 800 demonstrators had mobilized in Bara in support of Sohail Afridi.
Afridi is a tribal name that is common in the Khyber district in northwest Pakistan.
Islamabad has justified the imposition of emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by accusing its PTI administration of failing to deal with militant violence which has blighted the province.
The PTI has vehemently opposed the measure, describing it as undemocratic and a grab for power by the federal government.
